Christianity and Ecology
He leads me …
Genesis 1:26-29 (TLB)
26 Then God said, “Let us make a man—someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life upon the earth and in the skies and in the seas.”
27 So God made man like his Maker.
Like God did God make man;
Man and maid did he make them.
28 And God blessed them and told them, “Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all the animals.
Hosea 4:1-3 (TLB)
Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel. The Lord has filed a lawsuit against you listing the following charges: “There is no faithfulness, no kindness, no knowledge of God in your land. 2 You swear and lie and kill and steal and commit adultery. There is violence everywhere, with one murder after another.
3 “That is why your land is not producing; it is filled with sadness, and all living things grow sick and die; the animals, the birds, and even the fish begin to disappear.
To help put things in perspective, Chris Clarke, former chief executive of World Vision NZ and now adviser to the Wilberforce Foundation, has made an important point. He said that, "Although 33 per cent of the population affiliate with Christianity (down from 43 per cent in the 2013 Census), 9 per cent of the population go to church pretty well every week so we are a minority in New Zealand society and that needs to be reflected in how we engage with society."[1]
When we see that being a Christian is becoming less relevant for the majority of New Zealanders, is it any wonder that there are problems right across our current way of life?
One area that Christians do not seem to be taking much interest in is ecology. We are well aware of the plastic pollution, the worldwide deforestation, and the decline and extinction of some animal species, but there does not appear any noticeable reaction from the church regarding this issue.
A brief look on the internet will show that there are several Christian organisations in New Zealand that have ecology as one of their primary focuses. However, most of them are not big enough to get much recognition from the wider public.
A Rocha Aotearoa New Zealand, is a Christian environmental conservation organization which currently operates in 20 countries around the world. Locally they have branches in Auckland, Waikato, Manawatu, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, where various initiatives occur.
For example, in the Manawatu, the group has over 4000 plants that are being grown on for community planting, with the majority going to Pit Park, which is an old quarry area which was a wasteland in Palmerston North city.
Recently in Christchurch practical workshops were held that included making environmentally friendly cleaning paste and “toilet bombs”. They also held discussions on waste and moving from ‘rubbish dump’ thinking towards a ‘circular economy’, and a presentation showed the ways that local churches are engaging with them in care for creation.
Looking overseas, A Rocha Peru is working in Uganda with community members teaching them how to build simple bio-sand filters that pass water through layers of sand and sediment, producing clean water that does not require boiling.
Over 9 million men, women and children in Uganda do not have access to clean, safe drinking water. Children die every day from preventable diseases caused by contaminated water along with improper sanitation and hygiene. The bio-sand filters remove up to 99% of pathogens and parasites without the need for chemical treatment or boiling, thereby reducing water-borne diseases.
A Rocha also has other initiatives in other countries that include re-establishing the dry forest of coastal Peru. It is rich in biodiversity, providing habitats for many unique and endangered species. It also supports the livelihoods of local communities. Yet today less than 2% remains.
To help the plants get established, water-absorbing gel is applied to the roots which allows the tree seedlings and saplings to better retain the limited water in the soil. This increases their survival rate to 95%.
The point of this is to show that there are practical ways that Christians are making a worthwhile difference, both locally and worldwide. Through organisations like A Rocha we can be the sort of masters of the fish and birds and all the animals, the way God intended it.
All it will take is for Christians to start talking about ecology, then realise that we can be a part of the solution, and then respond the way the Lord directs.
[1] Taken from https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/losing-faith-why-fewer-new-zealanders-are-attending-church/MV25KTPVEVW27IFUCEXNUCZ3KE/#:~:text=%22Although%2033%20per%20cent%20of,how%20we%20engage%20with%20society.%22
